The numbers are in for Dexter Fowler’s new contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, and they’re big. Fowler’s former team, the Chicago Cubs, extended him a qualifying offer that was worth $17.2 million, but he turned it down, taking his chances on the open market. In Fowler, the Cardinals are getting a great center fielder with solid skills and dependable numbers.

Did you see that staredown by Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio at Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid after Thursday night’s game? All we needed was for JDR to hit Reid in the back with a chair as Reid flexed for the crowd in some “Hulk Hogan is the third man!” type drama. “Not at all, not at all,” Reid said with a laugh when asked if there was any bad blood, according to Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star.

A lot of things happen over the holidays, but few of them—outside of visits from Santa or maxed out credit cards—occur in greater frequency than new engagements. As those who are not coupled prepare to be inundated with newsfeed updates on those who are newly bethrothed, those anticipating a ring might also want to be prepping for what lies ahead. Here, 9 things all newly-engaged girls should know.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Chael Sonnen has come out and spoken about Ultimate Fighting Championships' (UFC) former bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Sonnen, who has 5-6 win loss record in the UFC and currently fights in the Bellator MMA circuit, is not too impressed by Rowdy's skills in the Octagon, feeling that she is too overrated and hyped up by the media. "Ronda was created by the media.

The NFL is expanding its reach in England. The league is planning on four games overseas in the 2017 season, which — if you think about it — is half of a typical team’s home schedule. “We continue to be incredibly excited by the passion and love for the NFL shown by our millions of UK fans,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.

John Glenn attended a ceremonial tribute to Ted Williams at Fenway Park. Before he became the first American to orbit the Earth, astronaut John Glenn shared the skies with a Boston Red Sox legend. Hall of Fame outfielder Ted Williams served as Glenn’s wingman while the two served during the Korean War.

Current Smackdown Tag Team Champion Randy Orton gave us one of the most (somewhat unintentional) iconic images and moments of the year when his gaping head wound caused SummerSlam to come to a close. Fans talked about the SummerSlam finish for weeks, and usually not in a good way. The finish of the Orton-Lesnar match has been second- and third-guessed by wrestling fans and insiders alike, but no one’s really gotten Orton’s take yet.

Looking for someone who could help both in the passing game as well as returning punts, the Patriots' signed wide receiver Griff Whalen to the roster. The post Wide receiver Griff Whalen to meld well with Pats’ offense? appeared first on Cover32.

Colin Kaepernick (No. 7) and 49ers teammates take a knee during the national anthem. The steady decline in NFL television ratings has been the biggest story of the football season, and arguably the biggest sports-business story of 2016. What is clear is that interest in watching primetime NFL games has waned, but what remains unclear are the exact causes, and which causes have had the largest impact.

The top court in China has ruled in favour of former Chicago Bulls player Michael Jordan, allowing him the rights to the Chinese version of his name. The verdict, which was issued on 8 December, was in regards to a case the basketball legend was fighting against a local sportswear brand. Jordan in 2012 filed the lawsuit against Qiaodan Sports, saying the company had built its business around his Chinese name and his jersey number 23 without his permission.

Matt Cassel (16) learned the hard way: don’t mess with Tom Brady. In 2006, I was with the Providence Journal and in my first year covering the New England Patriots. Turns out, they were the tires off Cassel’s car, and Tom Brady had paid someone to remove the tires, put Cassel’s car on blocks, and move three of the tires (notice I didn’t say four) in front of the Cassel’s locker.

New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham practically begged the NFL to fine him for his behavior and words toward the officials in last Sunday’s 24-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFL handed down a $12,154 fine to Beckham for verbal abuse/excessive profanity toward a game official, according to USA Today’s Tom Pelissero. Beckham was upset about some calls that went against him, most notably an offensive pass interference call he thought should have gone the other way.

Nelson felt referee “Big” John McCarthy let the fight go on too long. As Silva was on his back on the canvas, and McCarthy was tending to him, Nelson gave McCarthy a kick to the backside. Nelson issued a public apology to McCarthy on Dec. 2 in an attempt to get his sentence reduced further, but UFC president Dana White questions its motive.

When it came to signing Mark Melancon though, the motivation for San Francisco Giants GM Bobby Evans may have come in the form of a young fan’s letter. As everyone knows, the Giants finalized their four-year, $62M contract with the former Pirates and Nationals closer on Friday. Not long afterward, the Giants posted the following tweet containing a letter and a request from a young fan to ink Melancon very, very soon.

With five minutes remaining in the first half of Thursday’s game, the Kansas City Chiefs appeared to be rolling to a rousing victory over the rival Oakland Raiders with first place in the AFC West hanging in the balance in a crucial battle. Linebacker Derrick Johnson went down at that point, slamming his helmet down, and appeared to know exactly what we all found out later: that he had just suffered a very bad injury, needing to be helped off the field and clearly looking despondent immediately afterward. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed that Johnson had ruptured his Achilles tendon for the second time in just over two years, which will end his season.